Dickinson Game Preview

The #22 Hobart Statesmen will host long-time Centennial Conference (CC) rival Dickinson College this Saturday at Boswell Field. Kickoff is slated for 12 PM ET and will be broadcast on WEOS 89.7 FM (www.weos.org). Last season the Hobart defense pitched a shutout until the fourth quarter while the offense gained over 500 yards en route to a lopsided 33-9 victory in Carlisle, PA.

After a strong run during the 2006-2009 seasons, tougher times have fallen on the Red Devils. Dickinson finished last season with a 4-6 mark, going 4-5 in the CC. While this was a slight improvement from their 2010 campaign, it is not reminiscent of Dickinson’s past success. Part of the challenge for Dickinson over this time period has been lack of a dominant QB since the graduation of Ian Mitchell (’10) and struggles on defense.

Last fall Dickinson had Cole Ahnell, Todd Smolinsky and Ricky Martz line up at QB. Martz was a SR last season, so unless he’s back for a 5th year, the battle for QB is likely between Ahnell and Smolinsky. Ahnell had better overall numbers (60.2% completions for 652 yards including four TDs compared to three INTs) but QB is once again “up for grabs” this fall camp per Head Coach Darwin Breaux.

All three of the Red Devils’ leading receivers and their leading rusher also graduated meaning RB Kyle Smith may have to carry the offense, at least early on, this season.

On defense Dickinson lost their All-Conference FS Scott Sullivan to graduation but they return their #2 tackler in JR LB Mike Miller (86 tackles including 5.5 TFL, one sack, two interceptions and fumble recoveries). SR DL Schuyler Simpson (38 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble) is also back but with many key holes to fill, the CC coaches picked the Devils to finish 7th (out of 10 teams) in preseason polls.

Keys to the game:

1. Get off to a good start – Hobart flirted with disaster in this game last year fumbling on their first play from scrimmage. Fortunately the defense was up to the task and turned away Dickinson on fourth and goal before the offense settled down and scored on their ensuing drive. Look for Coach DeWall to ease his rebuilt OL into this game, but Hobart will have a size advantage up front as the Red Devils' DL averages only 237 lbs (based on the 2011 roster).

2. Turnovers – The Statesmen defense wreaked havoc on the Dickinson offense last season. JR CB Connor Garrett and JR OLB Devin Worthington both had interceptions and Dickinson WR Cam Di Fede fumbled what otherwise would have been the Devils’ first touchdown of the game resulting in a touchback. Hobart, the initial fumble aside, controlled the ball for the remainder of the contest and, if not for taking their foot off the pedal late in the game, probably could have shutout Dickinson.

3. Special teams – One of a handful of highlights for Dickinson in last season’s contest against Hobart was a 98 yard two point PAT return off a blocked extra point (the Statesmen had missed an earlier attempt as well). Although we didn’t know it at the time, this play was a harbinger of (mostly) poor special teams plays by the Statesmen the remainder of the 2011 season. While I hope Hobart doesn’t have to settle for FG’s in this game, it would be nice to see a good start for the kicking game in 2012.

4. Remember (but don’t dwell on) the past – The last time Hobart entered the preseason in the Top 25 was 2009. They sported a #15 ranking until they were soundly defeated 26-3 by Dickinson in the season opener. The three points for Hobart was the worst offensive showing since 1993. Fortunately for the 2012 Statesmen guys like Greg Lord, Pat McNeal and Ian Mitchell no longer play for the Red Devils. The Hobart SRs should remember this game (and I guarantee you Asst Coach Kyle O’Laughlin ’11 - who lead Hobart with 12 tackles in the 2009 contest - does) and how being a “preseason favorite” can backfire. In spite of their recent struggles, Dickinson can’t be taken too lightly. In fact the Red Devils lead in the all-time series 9-10-1 and Hobart hasn’t beaten the Devils three years in a row since the 2004-2006 seasons.

Prediction:

The OL and DBs for Hobart are the biggest question marks for me entering this season. The good news regarding the DBs is that Dickinson isn’t really a passing team (they attempted 219 passes compared to 407 running plays in 2011). The good news for the Hobart OL is that they will face an undersized and younger Dickinson defense which should aid them in getting off to a good start.

The bottom line is you have a team predicted to finish 7th in their conference vs. a defending conference champion that is returning most of their key players. If that isn’t a lopsided match up (which is not uncommon this time of year), then maybe I am missing something? That said I’ll take Hobart to win 35-7.

Hobart Co-Captain to Appear on ITH

Hobart SR OL and Co-Captain Art Garvey will appear on Tuesday night's "In the HuddLLe" Liberty League Football preseason show on Blog Talk Radio (www.inthehuddlle.com and www.blogtalkradio.com/ith).  The show will air live August 28 at 7:30 PM ET and be available for download / playback directly thereafter.

This will be the fifth season of "ITH" which has received over 10,000 podcast downloads to date and has been replayed on league stations such as WHWS 105.7 FM and WPDM 99.1 FM.

The preseason show will feature player interviews from all eight LL teams and include previews of Week 1's out of conference games, including Dickinson vs. Hobart.

Next week I'll post my Dickinson game preview.  Kickoff is only 8 days away - go 'Bart!!!

Preseason Preview - Part III (Special Teams and Schedule)

Special Teams

The good news for Hobart is that almost all of last year’s special teams’ players are returning to camp this fall. The bad news is that this unit was fairly mediocre last season. The Statesmen ranked sixth and fifth in the league in kick and punt returns, respectively. FY CB Leif Colberg may break into the lineup as a return man but I wouldn’t be surprised if SR WR Junior Woodard began the season as the Hobart’s primary kick returner with JR CB Connor Garrett (2nd in the LL in punt return average with 8.1 YPR) fielding punts. Although the Statesmen had the LL’s best kickoff coverage unit, they only converted one field goal (out of four attempts) and where fifth in the league in PAT’s (88%). SR PK Stephen Bruening is not returning to the team so Coach Cragg will have to see whether FY PKs  Bryce Snyder or Josh Neuss are up to the challenge for this fall.  Both JR WR Yosh Karbowniczak and SO WR Elvin Souffrant handled punting duties last season averaging 30.39 and 33.31 per punt on the season respectively.

“The Boz”

Home games for Hobart were scarce to come by in 2011 due to scheduling issues. This season is the exact opposite however with twice as many home games as there were the prior year. In fact, the Statesmen play four of their first six games at home to open the season and have no consecutive road trips in 2012.

That said the “Boz” has been less of a “lock” for Hobart since being upgraded to field turf in 2010. Dating back to 2000 through 2009, the Statesmen went 44-7 (an 86+% winning percentage) at home on the “grass” (some opponents I know have used more colorful language in describing the field conditions than is appropriate for this blog) at Boswell Field, including the postseason. Since the remodel, Hobart has only won five of eight (62.5%) games at home.

To be fair, 2010's five win season was Hobart's worst in over a decade an up and in 2011 Hobart only had three home games, going 2-1, losing the home finale by one.  Otherwise the Statesmen outscored their opposition 93-53 on their home turf last season.

Schedule

The Statesmen open up with Centennial Conference rival Dickinson College for the 21st consecutive season. Hobart then will take on the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes of the Presidential Athletic Conference before completing out of conference play at nearby Utica College of the Empire 8 conference.

The Statesmen kick of their LL schedule hosting the United States Merchant Marine Academy, then embark on their longest road trip of the season to Worcester, MA to play WPI. Hobart returns home to face conference newcomer Springfield College then has a bye week.

Out of the bye Hobart will look to avenge last season’s only conference loss at RPI, then welcome long-time rival Union College in what’s historically been a pivotal conference game. The Statesmen will then look to close out their season on the road at Saint Lawrence and at Boswell Field vs. Rochester in the regular season finale.

Things could shape up nicely for the Statesmen if they stay healthy and have success plugging in the few gaps left by graduation on the OL and DB positions.

Next week I'll have some more news regarding another season of the weekly LL football highlight and preview show "In The HuddLLe" (www.inthehuddlle.com).

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

This is so over the top (and I f'ing love it)

Your 2012 Hobart Statesmen Football Captains
(LtoR:  LB Andrew Klindera, OT Art Garvey, QB Nick Strang,
LB Nick Zapp and RB Bobby Dougherty)

Credit HWS Sports Photographer Kevin Colton.  Go 'Bart!

39 FY Players Check into 2012 Camp

The #22 Hobart Statesmen officially opened their preseason camp this weekend in Geneva.  While I thought I captured a good number of incoming recruits this summer, it appears as though I only managed to land HALF of this fall's incoming class.  The coaching staff has addressed certain positions by moving players to where the Statesmen lack depth (e.g., FB, CB and DL).

I noted a couple additional FL players (including Oviedo which isn't too far from my current location) as well as a large number of linemen, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  A special nod to Sam Stern from Rye Country Day who is wearing #36 (my old jersey).

The class of 2016 is listed below.  I've highlighted the players who didn't appear in "Comin' Atcha" earlier this year by their hometowns.   Welcome to Hobart!

#6  Jacob Stanley OLB West Palm Beach, FL
#13 Christian Caban WR Meriden, CT
#14 Parker Thelander QB Larchmont, NY
#15 Chris Nabor WR Pittsburgh, PA
#20 Conner Hartigan RB Albany, NY
#22 Leif Colberg CB Madison, CT
#27 Garrett Moon FY Oviedo, FL
#28 Justin Burke CB Amherst, NY
#31 Bryce Snyder K/CB Yarmouth, ME
#32 Ryan Bennett TE Boynton Beach, FL
#36 Sam Stern CB New Rochelle, NY
#43 Trayvon Toney ILB Huntington Station, NY
#46 Maxwell Gordon OLB Dundee, NY
#47 Christopher Holoman FB Asburn, VA
#48 Eliot Adler FB Clinton, NY
#49 Aaron Derby FB Boston, NY
#51 Mark Guarino-Hyde DE Penfield, NY
#53 Kenneth Coughlin ILB Staten Island, NY
#54 T.J. Scamurra OL Williamsville, NY
#56 Julian Jackson DE Coral Springs, FL
#58 Mark Marino ILB Winchester, MA
#59 Nick Liverio DE Amsterdam, NY
#60 Justin DiJiulio OL Sidney Center, NY
#61 Dakota Taylor DT Fairport, NY
#64 Connor Cough OL Saquoit, NY
#65 Emiliano Acosta OL Elba, NY
#66 Brendan Casey OL Boston, MA
#67 Levi Boyer OL Waterport, NY
#69 Dennis O'Connell OL Croton-on-Hudson, NY
#71 Ronald Tortorello OL Bloomingburg, NY
#75 Zachary Greenburg OL Plainview, NY
#80 Joshua Britton TE Carthage, NY
#82 Josh Neuss K Williamsville, NY
#83 Cooper Merrill WR North Canton, OH
#87 Yanni Zulia WR North Tonawanda, NY
#92 Louis Testani DE Pittsford, NY
#93 Joseph Reale DT Jamestown, NY
#94 Charlie Ehlers DE Maplewood, NJ
#98 Tucker Gumkowski DT Montclair, NJ

Preseason Preview - Part II (Defense)

A big reason for Hobart's return to the top of the LL in 2011 had a lot to do with one of Coach Cragg's best defensive units in several seasons.  The Statesmen "D" allowed only 17.1 PPG and held opposing offenses to 283.1 YPG on average.  They terrorized QBs racking up 27 sacks and helped Hobart to a +10 turnover differential which was a huge improvement from 2010's -7 TOM (last in the LL).  Here is a positional overview of the Statesmen defense for this fall:

DB – With due respect to the number of outstanding seniors lost to gradation from last season's OL, the Statesmen’s biggest shoes to fill this fall in my opinion are those of four-time unanimous All-League and 2011 All-America award winner Drake Woodard ’12. Woodard started in almost every game of his four year Hobart career accumulating 145 tackles and 12 INTs over that time period.  What the stats belie is the fact this unanimous first team All LL selection was probably one of the best cover corners the Statesmen have ever had (see post on 1/14/11) and neutralized most of the opposition’s best wide outs (insert a collective sigh of relief the Union's Justin Gallo graduated last spring as well).  The good news for Hobart fans (and the returning and incoming DBs) is that Woodard is returning to Geneva as an assistant football coach while studying for his Masters.

Hobart only has a handful of experienced DBs returning this fall meaning Statesmen opponents are likely to test this group early and often.  In the two losses in 2011, teams passed for approximately 300 yards per game showing that, even with Woodard, this unit can be vulnerable to a well run passing (and pass blocking) team.

The most experienced of the returning players is JR CB Connor Garrett. The San Diego, CA native started opposite of Woodard all of 2011 and contributed 18 total tackles, two pass break ups and one INT.  Filling in for former FS Chad Dorrance (see post on 2/29/12) will likely be JR FS Jolyon Davis (started two games and had 17 tackles) or SO DB Fajiri Jackson.  A potential starter at CB will be JR Kevin Hearon who scored on a 36 yard “pick six” to ice the 24-10 victory at Rochester in the regular season finale. Other potential contributors could be SR DB Rashaun Moore and highly touted FY CB Leif Colberg out of Cheshire Academy.

DE - What was a position of concern going into 2011 ended up being one of the Hobart’s biggest strengths thanks to the addition of 2011 LL Rookie of the Year Tyre Coleman. Coleman wreaked havoc on opposing quarter and running backs leading the league and finishing second in the nation in sacks (13) while also adding 19 tackles for a loss (also some of the best defensive performances in the nation in 2011) and five forced fumbles.

With JR DE Tim Murray transferring to Endicott College (MA), there will be a competition between a trio of Statesmen including JR DE Juan Breton, SR DE Kees Nordin and SO DE Jake Currie to play opposite Coleman.  Personally I'd like to see Breton (who opted out of playing FCS level football at Sacred Heart University in CT to come to Hobart) emerge as a defensive force.  He was highly regarded coming out of high school but so far has yet to see any meaningful time on the field.  Another possibility could be a move similar to what occurred in 2011 when former DT Dane Wilcoxen '12 was asked by the coaching staff to play DE.

DL - Although Hobart will miss 2nd team All LL tackle Gianni Contro ‘12, the Statesmen return the bulk, literally and figuratively, of their defensive line. Leading the way is SR DL Nick Auriemma who’ll likely be joined by SO DL Troy Johnson, Raimonn Goddard and/or SO DL Ben Dunham-Kapaldo and JR DL Cory Einbeck and Jacob Powell.

LB – As usual a real strength of Hobart’s defense was at the inside and outside line backing positions. Although the Statesmen will miss the leadership and output (81 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 1 INT, and 2 FF) of Reggie Robinson ’12, the Statesmen return the majority of this critical unit. After winning the LL 2010 Rookie of Year award, JR OLB/SS Devin Worthington earned the LL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2011. Worthington was fourth on the team in tackles with 45 but did most of his damage behind the line of scrimmage adding 11.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 1 INT, two forced and three recovered fumbles. Lining up opposite Worthington on the outside in 2012 will either be classmate JR LB Austin DiMarco, JR LB Taylor Delperuto or JR LB Nolan Toran.  Coaching the OLB unit will be former Statesmen Co-Captain and LB Kyle O'Laughlin '11.

Inside the Statesmen will be lead by SR LB and Co-Captain Andrew Klindera who finished second to Robinson with 51 tackles. Playing opposite Klindera will likely be SR LB and Co-captain Nick Zapp but expect to see JR LBs Thomas Elder and Cory Davis as well as a number of highly talented FY recruits look to see the field in 2012.

Next week I'll cover off on special teams and the 2012 (10 game!) schedule.  Thanks and go 'Bart!

Preseason Preview - Part I (Offense)

After another season of missing the playoffs, offseason scheduling snafus, self-reported NCAA infractions and loss of key players; the fall of 2011 was a breath of fresh air for Statesmen fans.  Hobart destroyed out of conference rivals Dickinson and Saint John Fisher by 24 and 36 points, respectively, then was one point away from it's first undefeated regular season since the mid-1950's before claiming the share of the Liberty League (LL) and the NCAA automatic bid for the first time since 2008.  The Statesmen took #3 Wesley to the brink, but eventually fell 35-28 in a close contest which was recognized by pollsters in this fall's preseason #22 ranking.

This fall the Statesmen appear, on paper at least, to be a very strong contender for the LL title. Hobart returns virtually all of their key players from last year’s stalwart defense. The Statesmen “D” ranked first in the LL virtually every relevant category and was recognized by the LL with two players of the year awards, three first team all conference and one All-American selections on defense. On offense the Statesmen return the majority of their skill position players but will need to reload on the offensive line to expand on last year's success.

Below is a positional preview of how Hobart stacks up heading into the preseason:

Offense

QB - SR QB and Co-Captain Nick Strang and SR QB Kelly Olney look to lead the Statesmen offense back to the NCAA playoffs in 2012. Strang started all eight of Hobart’s 2011 regular season games, but was literally knocked out of line up after receiving a concussion on an interception return in the season finale at Rochester. Although he didn’t earn much in the way of LL post-season praise, Strang finished 2011 as the fourth rated passer (in YPG) and third in total offense. The 6’ 4” 225 pounder was a dual threat, passing for 1483 yards and 15 TDs through the air while adding 289 rushing yards and four TDs on the ground.

Although Olney will probably remain as the back up to Strang in 2012, he has proven to be more than capable of leading the team. Last season Olney threw for 267 yards and one touchdown (TD) and received compliments from Wesley Head Coach Mike Drass based on his going 16 for 37 and 211 yards with no interceptions against the #3 Wolverines (who boasted one of the best defenses in all of DIII) in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.

Waiting in the wings and likely to see some time in certain situations is SO QB Patrick Conlan. Conlan (the son of former Buffalo Bills All-Pro LB Shane) appeared in four games last season and could be the “heir apparent” to run the Hobart offense in 2013 pending the development of SO QB Kyle Bayly or incoming recruits such as FY QBs Parker Thelander and Cooper Merrill [editor's note:  Merrill checked into this fall's camp as a WR].

OL - The Statesmen graduated five seniors, including Kyle Sandy (2nd team All LL), Jarrid Blades, Kelvin Cruz, Brendan Hatlee (1st team All LL) and Anthony Coletta (2nd team All LL). Hobart’s only returning starter on this unit is SR OL and Co-Captain Art Garvey. The good news for the Hobart skill players is that the Statesmen have a number of underclassmen who received a good deal of playing time in 2011 and will welcome 10 returning linemen, including Garvey, into this fall’s camp. The likely successors to last year’s bedrock unit include Art’s cousin SR OL Tyler Garvey as well as JR OL Max Janoff, Alex Bush and Trevor Schutte and SOs DeAndre’ Smith and Ali Marpet.

FB - SO FB Dominque Ellis is the de facto starter after the offseason departure of Juan O’Farrill (see post on 2/29/12). The native Floridian finished the season fourth on the Statesmen’s rushing list, churning out 195 yards on 39 carries and one TD. Ellis was named to the All LL team as an honorable mention. Backing up Ellis will likely be classmate SO FB Aaron Sobell [editor's note:  Sobell was not on the 8/12/12 updated roster meaning one of three incoming FY recruits, including Christopher Holoman from VA, will vie for playing time]

RB - Hobart boasts arguably the deepest and best RB corp in the entire LL including JR RB Steven Webb (first team All LL), SR RB and Co-Captain Bobby Dougherty (second team All LL), and a tandem of talented second year men in SO RB Alex Delaney and SO RB Alex Furtado. Webb led all Statesmen runners with 553 yards on 119 attempts including an electric 70 yard TD run (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g62EBsub1jY) against Union. Webb tallied a total of seven rushing TDs and added eight catches for 124 yards and one receiving TD. Dougherty rushed for 446 yards on 97 attempts and matched Webb’s rushing TD output with seven while also making 14 catches for 117 yards.  Delany and Furtado appeared in a total of five games last season, Furtado getting the bulk of carries (18 vs. three) and scoring two rushing TDs.

TE - The TE position is mostly a blocking one at Hobart, but the Statesmen are happy to return SR TEs Brent Matazinsky and Andrew Zdrojewski along with SO TE Mike Berkowitz to the gridiron. Berkowitz lead this unit with two catches for 23 yards and one TD. Matazinsky added a 19 yard TD reception in the RPI game. Given the size and skill of these ends, I hope Coach DeWall has expanded the playbook to get them the ball more often this season.

WR - Although Hobart will miss the talents of last season’s leading receiver Garth Muratori ’12 (537 receiving yards and seven TDs); Strang or Olney will have plenty of targets as the Statesmen return a total of nine wide outs this fall. Leading the receiving corps is SR WR Junior Woodard. SR WR Jay Cronze, JR WR Yosh Karbowniczak (who also served as punter until injured and spelled by), SO WR Elvin Souffrant and SO WR Troy Robinson are all returning and looking to contribute. Woodard was second on the team with 27 catches for 373 yards, including an 83 yarder vs. Saint John Fisher, and three TDs. Souffrant and Karbowniczak caught 10 and 14 passes, respectively, for a combined 348 yards and two TDs. Although Robinson appeared in only three games, he scored a TD as one of his four receptions.

Next week I'll preview the defense.  Go 'Bart!